ERIC JOWETT PRESENTATION

Pattrick Mould's

ROSE FAMILY RE-UNION,

PRESENTATION GIVEN BY ERIC JOWETT

Elizabeth Bartlett

I am a great greet great grandson of Thomas and Elizabeth Rose, and have been collecting information for my family trees since about 1970. I would like to express my thanks to my cousin, Richard Mack, who sadly found that he is unable to be with us today. He had done a lot of research on our family history, and particularly the history of William Balmain, whose son, John Henderson married Thomas and Elizabeth's only daughter, Kezia Jane Rose. Thomas and Elizabeth's other child was James Hannibal Rose, who died, a bachelor in Melbourne in 1879. John Henderson had trained as a surgeon in London, beginning the course in 1822. He married Kezia Jane Rose in 1828. He commenced his medical practice in George Street, Sydney in 1830.

Elizabeth Rose died in 1826, and then Thomas moved to his farming property Mt Gilead at Appin, and in 1829, he married Sarah Pye. Another person who was a very great help to me with the family records was a Mr. Cornelius. Mr. Cornelius had purchased the old Mark Foy property in Castlereagh Street, and he immediately wondered who owned the property next door, a lane that gave access to Westpac Bank, and to other buildings too. He noted that the lane was the last unsold remnant of the Estate owned by John Henderson, who died in Sydney in 1850, and it remained unsold after the disposal of all the rest the property, which consisted of the whole block bounded by King St, Market St, Elizabeth St and Castlereagh St. He researched many of John Henderson's descendants. and he wrote to my father, who asked me to see Mr. Cornelius in Sydney, and find out more about the property. The City Council then realized that the lane was privately owned, and started charging rates at about $17000 p.a., and valued the land at over $200.000!-- it even started attracting a water rate, and it was not even connected to the water! Mr. Cornelius knew that if he owned the lane, and then built over it, retaining all the rights-of way, he could build the redeveloped area much higher so enhancing its value.

My grandfather, Edmund Jowett, and my father Arthur Jowett kept excellent family records, but this introduction of John Henderson, the only son of the First Fleet Surgeon William Balmin was what I needed to connect the records of the early Sydney pioneers with the later records that we already had. John Henderson's two daughters, Kezia Jane, and Julia Mary married the McCallum twin brothers, John and Malcolm, in Melbourne, in 1856 and 1857 respectively. James Hannibal Rose, who lived in Melbourne, in a letter to his half sister in Sydney, jokingly described the name "McCallurn" as very commonplace in Melbourne- rather like the name "Brown".

Richard Mack, and I have now a very complete record of the descendants of Kezia Jane Rose and her husband John Henderson. With all the spouses of the descendants, they number over 450, so it is difficult to say very much about them in a short time. In my family tree, I am attempting to record, as much detail as I can find of all the members of the family, and this is a continuing process that very much depends on the family members assisting me with correct details.

I see a family such as ours as a "club". And new members are admitted after "election", that follows being nominated and seconded!

I had been concentrating on the Thomas Rose-Elizabeth Bartlett descendants for years, and last year, I was on my way to the Mitchell Library, one of my favourite haunts in Sydney. I was on a Parramatta train, and I decided to visit the Historical Society at Parramatta, and enquire about the Paytens. The secretary put me in touch with Bruce Giles, and Anne Sheppard who have wonderful records of most of the "Pye Roses". Our "Club" immediately expanded to include some hundreds of "new' Fully Paid Up members! Many of who are with us today.

Christine Thomas' book on the Pye Family, "A Family of Significant Substance" was very helpful to me with its many references to Thomas Rose's family. I would like to see what old photographs could be found! I have an excellent one of Kezie Jane McCallum, Thomas Rose's granddaughter.

Eric Jowett 10^th June 1999